Everyone knows the Corvette skipped a model year and the Trans Am’s T-tops leaked. Fewer know that a Southern California dealer scheme got Dodge to build the only production car ever sold new with factory Cragar wheels, or that the fearsome 440 Six Pack wasn’t even the rarest engine you could order in a 1970 Super Bee. Two more little-known muscle car facts worth knowing.
At the peak of the classic muscle car era, we witnessed the rarest and wildest rides packing incredible power and sleek bodies. Beyond the obvious ones, here are some surprising facts that you will love.
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1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
The first releases of the mustang were pure gold. They were not only stylish but also lightweight. Later models were more powerful in terms of engine, but still maintained good weight ratio. But I bet you didn’t know that the ’67 Shelby had Mercury Cougar tail lamps carried over from the ’66 Thunderbird!
1984 Chevy Corvette
The corvette had a very impressive and successful run from 1968 to 1982. GM decided to move on to the next generation, they skipped a whole year of production – at least, the ’83 corvette was never made available to the public. The last surviving ’83 model is in the national corvette museum.
1969 Dodge Charger Daytona
What’s striking about the appearance here is the stretching rear wing, which has proven aerodynamic properties. But did it have to be that long? No. It was exaggerated so that the lid of the trunk could open comfortably.
1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
The Pontiac‘s T-top roof was the closest buyers got to a convertible. However, the roof leaked and Pontiac had to develop a new roof within the model year using GM‘s fisher body division. The difference is that the remake was slightly larger.
Somewhere between the four facts everyone already knows about muscle car folklore and the truly obscure trivia collectors trade like currency, there’s a middle tier that rarely gets told. Most fans have heard about the Corvette’s missing model year and the Trans Am’s leaky T-tops by now. Fewer know that a Southern California dealership scheme once got Dodge to build a Dart that could legally wear factory drag wheels no other production car ever carried. Fewer still realize that one of the most feared Mopars of 1970 was actually more common in its ultimate form than almost anyone assumes. Two more surprising stories from the muscle car era, still waiting for their turn in the spotlight.
The Dart That Wasn’t Supposed to Wear Those Wheels
A handful of Southern California Dodge dealers once ran a “dealer kit” program that dressed up ordinary Darts with a 273 four-barrel V8, heavy-duty suspension, and factory Cragar wheels, all wrapped in a distinctive soft yellow paint. That last detail is the one that still trips people up: it’s believed to be the only production car ever sold new wearing factory Cragar wheels, a detail casual collectors assume was always an aftermarket-only feature.
The Six Pack Wasn’t Even the Rarest Super Bee
Of the 15,506 Dodge Super Bees built for 1970, only 1,268 carried the V-code 440 Six Pack setup – already a small slice of production. But Dodge built just 42 Super Bees that year with the 426 Hemi, which makes the vaunted Six Pack look almost common by comparison, even though it’s the version most collectors chase today because it’s dramatically more livable on the street.
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NICE
Yep!
Anthony Forte
Love it
The peak of The Muscle car era was 1970 when cars had 370-450HP, not 180-220HP like this T/A! Loved them all though!
Definitely was 1970. Unbelievable muscle from all US divisions.
Hot Wheels
I thing ’69 L88 most power ever from a factory engine even if it was rated 430